Best Fantasy Football Week 11 Defense Streamers (D/ST): Dolphins DST, Texans DST Should Outperform Projections Against Struggling Offenses

Week 10 in the NFL saw another slew of great D/ST performances, and while most of the top performers were well out of streaming territory ownership-wise, there were a handful like New England (16 points) and Arizona (13 points) who put up solid numbers at less than 10% ownership.

Looking back at our picks for Week 10, I’m seeing a very frustrating trend — targeting the right matchup but the wrong team. We picked the Bears, who finished with four points while New England tallied 16 against them; we picked the Falcons, who had one point while their opponent, the Saints, had ten; and we picked the Giants in Germany, who put up five points against Carolina, who finished with 11.

Hopefully we can turn things around in Week 11, where we’ve got some heavyweight matchups on deck, especially in the AFC. Four teams are on a bye this week, and others have tough enough matchups that you may need to look to the waiver wire to put your squad in the best position for the week.

That said, let’s take a look at the best fantasy football Week 11 defense streamers (D/ST).

TEAMS TO AVOID IN WEEK 11

BYE WEEKS

The Cardinals, Panthers, Giants, and Buccaneers are idle this week. Let’s run through those all quickly.

The Arizona Cardinals (9% rostered on Sleeper) have been looking strong as of late, averaging over ten points per game over their last four and putting up three double-digit weeks in that span. They have a relatively easy schedule to close out the year and are still in first place in the NFC West, so they’re likely worth a stash if you’re able.

The Carolina Panthers (2%) had a solid 11-point showing in Germany last week, but that was their first time topping seven points all season and they’re still ranked dead last in fantasy scoring among defenses. They also have a tough late-season schedule on the horizon, so things won’t get better anytime soon.

The New York Giants (50%) are right in the middle of the league in terms of fantasy scoring but have averaged just four points per game over the last four weeks. They, too, have a pretty tough schedule coming up and can be left alone for now.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (27%) haven’t been lighting the world on fire, but they’re starting to get healthier and have managed to have decent performances against strong teams recently. They also have a breeze of a schedule coming up with games against the Giants, Panthers, and Raiders for the next few weeks. They may be worth a stash if you can, but you can also likely leave them on waivers and scoop them up after the bye for this great stretch of matchups.

MATCHUP-BASED

The Pittsburgh Steelers (79%) are ranked number three in D/ST scoring this year and have their team in first place in the AFC North. But, this week they’ll face the Ravens, the team directly behind them by only one loss in the standings. Baltimore has still allowed the fewest points to fantasy defenses this season, as opposing D/STs are averaging less than a single point against them. They’re a stash for sure, but I’m wary about starting Pittsburgh this week.

Despite the defense for the Kansas City Chiefs (84%) being a huge part of the reason they remain undefeated, it hasn’t translated to fantasy scoring, as they’re ranked 23rd on the year among D/STs. This could change in a couple of weeks when their schedule gets a good deal easier, but not this week, as they hit the road to face Josh Allen and the Bills, who’ve allowed the third-fewest points to opposing defenses this year.

FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 11 DEFENSE STREAMERS (DST)

MIAMI DOLPHINS DST (16% ROSTERED ON SLEEPER)

vs Las Vegas Raiders | 1 PM

I’m writing this before Miami takes the field against the Rams on Monday Night Football to close out Week 10, but their last few weeks heading into that game haven’t been amazing. Since their Week 6 bye, they’ve totaled just six points across their last three games, with one sack and two turnovers in that stretch.

Miami is 31st in sacks with ten and tied for 29th in turnovers forced with just six, so it’s no surprise that they’re third to last in D/ST scoring this season. But each week presents a new opportunity to improve, and they have a great one this week against the Raiders.

The @Raiders are bringing Norv Turner out of retirement to help advise their offense. He'll serve an advisory role, most likely to his son Scott, who is in line to be the new playcaller. — Vincent Bonsignore (@VinnyBonsignore) November 5, 2024

My big rule of thumb for picking D/ST streamers — if a team’s offense is struggling so much, they bring in a 72 year old coach who’s been retired for five years to try to help out, fade them.

Coming off a bye, the Raiders have allowed 11 points per game to opposing defenses, which is the highest mark in the league. The last time we saw them, Cincinnati was putting up 11 points on them with five sacks and two turnovers.

Las Vegas has given up 30 sacks this year, which is tied for fifth-most in the league, and their 19 giveaways are the most out of any team. Gardner Minshew showed some promise early in the year, including winning a big game over Baltimore, but has been generally disappointing for most of the year and has more interceptions thrown (eight) than touchdowns (six) on the season.

Miami has their flaws defensively, but as we know, D/ST streaming is all about playing the matchups, and in the NFL in 2024, there is no better matchup than the Las Vegas Raiders.

HOUSTON TEXANS DST (29%)

@ Dallas Cowboys | MNF

The Texans will play in primetime for the third straight week as they head to Dallas to face the Cowboys on Monday Night Football. Houston lost to Detroit in Week 10 despite intercepting Jared Goff FIVE TIMES, but they did finish with 11 points on the night, even without logging a sack.

The Texans are tied for fourth in turnovers forced this year with 18 and are seventh in the league with 29 sacks, but despite these high rankings in key fantasy stats, are just 14th in D/ST scoring entering Week 11. Luckily, they’ll be going up against the gift that keeps on giving for fantasy defenses — the Dallas Cowboys.

Jalen Hurts really outscored the entire Cowboys offense in fantasy points today 🤯 pic.twitter.com/kl5E1gP1te — ESPN Fantasy Sports (@ESPNFantasy) November 11, 2024

There is a lot of blame being thrown around at Jerry World as Cowboys fans try to figure out who’s at fault for their disappointing season. Sure Dak Prescott got hurt, but they were pretty terrible even when he was in the lineup. The general consensus has the blame falling on Mike McCarthy, and it feels like he’s on borrowed time at this point and will likely be a casualty of Black Monday in about about nine weeks — if he makes it that far.

Dallas has turned the ball over 18 times this year, the second most in football behind Las Vegas, and their 24 sacks surrendered has them tied for 11th in the league. In total for the year they’ve given up over eight points per game to opposing D/STs, the eighth highest mark in the league, but that number has been even higher in recent weeks as Prescott has gone down and the wheels have really started to fall off.

Houston is coming off a frustrating loss in which they were outscored 19-0 in the second half, and I think they’re in position for a serious bounce back in Dallas this week.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (25%)

vs Cleveland Browns | 1 PM

I targeted the Saints’ offense for streaming this past week, picking the Falcons in their NFC South matchup, and that ended up being a poor decision as New Orleans won the game and their D/ST put up ten points to Atlanta’s one.

The Saints have quietly put together a decent season for a fantasy defense and are currently ranked 11th in D/ST scoring for the year. Their 22 sacks is around the league average and their scoring defense is ranked 24th, but they’re tied for ninth with 15 turnovers forced, including 12 interceptions, which is the fourth-most in the league.

As they try to pull off a minor miracle and catch up to Atlanta and Tampa Bay in the NFC South, the Saints will host the Cleveland Browns, who find themselves at 2-7 and securely in the basement of the AFC North.

The #Browns are the only team in the NFL with more punt yards than total offensive yards this season.

Corey Bojorquez: 2,600 punt yards

Browns offense: 2,470 yards pic.twitter.com/gKqZe4M3ni — Mikey McNuggets (@MikeLucasTV) November 7, 2024

Aside from a shocking win over the Ravens in Jameis Winston‘s first game as the starter, Cleveland has lost six straight and has the fourth-worst scoring offense in the league at 16.4 points per game. Fantasy D/STs have scored over ten points per game against them, and their 43 sacks surrendered are comfortably the highest mark in the league.

The Saints have some considerable talent up front and in the secondary, and should have their way with an offensive line that can’t protect their QB and a quarterback that plays a high-risk, high-reward style of football. Especially at home, I love New Orleans to put up a second straight double digit week.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Green Bay Packers (21% rostered): The Packers have cooled off in recent weeks after a hot start to the year, averaging just four points per game over their last three heading into their Week 10 bye. Off the bye, they’ll head to Chicago to face the Bears.

Los Angeles Rams (16%): The Rams have averaged over 15 points per game in three contests after their bye week, and will face the Patriots in Foxborough.

Cleveland Browns (24%): Both sides of this contest could be lucrative for fantasy purposes, as the Browns travel to New Orleans to face the 3-7 Saints.

Click here to read article